What I did today...

[throbscottle]

Not having a SOP16 to DIL adapter board, and having a curl of old FPC on the bench... Well I just had to try the experiment.
So I discovered that if you scrape the FPC across with the knife, instead of along, and not at the end, it cleans off the insulation quite nicely. Made a chip-sized clear patch, soldered the chip onto it. Trimmed the ends to a concave shape. Should have scraped back and front before trimming. Never mind. Found I could melt the back insulation off with the iron. Cut away the bit between the two sides of the IC, cut most of the way between the conductors. Spread out the conductors, trim a bit, solder onto a couple of pin headers. No shorts, yay!
So, tomorrow I get to build with it!

 

[atferrari]

Not having a SOP16 to DIL adapter board, and having a curl of old FPC on the bench... Well I just had to try the experiment.
So I discovered that if you scrape the FPC across with the knife, instead of along, and not at the end, it cleans off the insulation quite nicely. Made a chip-sized clear patch, soldered the chip onto it. Trimmed the ends to a concave shape. Should have scraped back and front before trimming. Never mind. Found I could melt the back insulation off with the iron. Cut away the bit between the two sides of the IC, cut most of the way between the conductors. Spread out the conductors, trim a bit, solder onto a couple of pin headers. No shorts, yay!
So, tomorrow I get to build with it!

Could you post a picture? Interested.

 

[DerStrom8]

Could you post a picture? Interested.

Agreed! I think I can picture it but I would be very interested to see it regardless!

 

[throbscottle]

I was hoping someone would ask that! I have to charge my camera battery though.
With cosmic irony, my actual adapter boards arrived today.

 

[tomizett]

That's the same rule that says that the only way to find the thing that you lost is to buy a replacement.

 

[throbscottle]

For lost SOP's I find taking my shoes off in the house works a treat, as the chip turns up on the mat a few days later. Somehow it only works in the house. If I search in my shoes whilst in the shed, the chip is never there...

 

[throbscottle]

Does anyone know the proper name for that wider version of SOP I've got there, btw?